


The day before we went to war

by Eslian



Category: Edge of Tomorrow (2014), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: @reylo_readers, F/M, I am not perfect at military ranks, Inspired by Edge of Tomorrow, Mention of Character Death, Mention of war and military ranks, mention of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:47:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25962313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eslian/pseuds/Eslian
Summary: This was the day of the most decisive battle, the final battle, and they were supposed to win it, they had to win it ... or the world would be lost.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Kylo Ren/Ben Solo
Comments: 8
Kudos: 4
Collections: Let's Go to the Movies - Reylo Readers & Writers Prompt Exchange





	The day before we went to war

**Author's Note:**

> And here is my attempt to recreate a Reylo AU from one of my favorite films: Edge of Tomorrow. I am not an expert in war stories but I will try to at least be consistent. I just hope you like it from the bottom of my heart.

**The day before we went to war**

_We can all feel it_

_Like a light hand on your back_

_Welcoming you_

_The day before we went to war_

_(Dido)_

1

The day before we went to war

This was the day of the most decisive battle, the final battle, and they were supposed to win it, they had to win it ... or the world would be lost.

"We're screwed" Rey couldn't think of anything else as she wasted tons of ammunition ripping apart the damn critters. Things were not looking good, since the intense landing (rather crashing) of the transport plane that was carrying her and her team, the hell of fire, screams, injuries and fallen ships; until the ambush they all got into. The enemy was everywhere, attacking them by air and land, without quarter.

Those amorphous beings still impressed her, all tentacles that threw at them like flying daggers, they were an incredible army that acted as a whole, perfectly synchronized. How the hell did they do it?

Her gun fired the last bullet. She was continuing to uselessly squeeze the trigger when a voice shook her out of her shock and she realized what was happening around her: she was alone, everyone was dead, her entire squad, no one standing except her and the captain. One of those beings screamed to her right but the captain killed her with the last burst of bullets.

-Ben ...

-We have to get out of here, it is a massacre, we must tell them that it was a mistake, the war is lost and ...

The captain stopped, his eyes fixed on a point behind her, his face paler than usual. With one arm he placed her behind him and then Rey saw him. It was different from the others, immense in comparison, it moved slowly, as if time did not exist, it was like the horrible vision of a chimera ... and it was looking at them. It was an Alpha, she had never seen one before but she had heard the stories of the few who had survived the attack of one of those, they said that when they appeared everything was lost.

Rey was aware that they no longer had bullets. Her foot tripped on something when the captain pushed her behind him to protect her: an antipersonnel mine. The Alpha was surrounding them, the captain moving along with her, always facing the enemy.

-When it attack you must run and get out of here- he said and Rey looked at him stunned. She wasn't going to leave him alone ... ever.

She was about to start protesting when the monster made the first move and lunged at them, the captain pushing her to the side, taking her out of the attack path. Rey fell on her side violently, the mechanical armor no longer responded to her and getting out of it she got up in the best way she could. The intense pain she felt in her right shoulder assured her that it was probably dislocated and her right leg was badly injured, she could feel the warmth of the blood gushing from a wound. She advanced, enduring the intense pain, until she reached Ben. He had received the direct hit of that attack, his armor was also shattered and Rey fell beside him with her heart on a thread. She tried in vain to revive him, even knowing it was useless, she searched for his carotid pulse while her own pulse quickened… nothing, not a single beat, and a stain of blood began to spread on the captain's chest. Ben was dead.

The Alpha emitted an intense screech that echoed in her ears, she knew it would come for her. Around her the battle continued, she could hear the screams, the shots, the ships were still falling from the sky, but she was alone, there was no one left to help her, and the person who mattered most to her in the world was in front of her ... lifeless . A tear ran down her cheek as the Alpha began to move slowly towards her, her hand ran into the antipersonnel mine that she had seen before Ben pushed it to save her and without thinking twice she activated it at the same moment that the alien pounced on they.

She didn't feel the sound of the explosion that engulfed the three of them, she only had time to see the intense light as she tried to protect Ben's body with her own body.

*

_Did he have a name? Sure he had it, but he had already forgotten it. He had already forgotten almost everything. He was completely alone, in the midst of the dark and cold of space. He had a home, it was a cozy and warm place, but something had happened and he was no longer there. The vision of a planet exploding in an intense explosion of light made him remember: war, his world had been destroyed by war, by an infernal cataclysm caused by his own species, it was a beautiful world ... and it no longer existed. He had seen it all from the small and distant moon that orbited the gigantic planet, the shock wave had thrown the moon away from disaster and now he was wandering aimlessly through cold, empty space. How long had it been like this? He didn't know, and it didn't matter. None of his own had survived the disaster, only him. The loneliness of space was enveloping, haunting, maddening. At first he did his best to fight what he felt, but as time went by, fighting no longer made sense and he just existed, without thinking, without expecting anything, just existing ... the worst thing was that he could exist almost forever._

_At some point in his miserable existence he found that distant nine-planet system with its warm little star. The third closest to the bright light was a beautiful blue world that reminded him of another world destroyed eons ago… it felt like his world._

*

-Ben, no ...! -Rey woke up screaming in horror as she tried to protect the empty space before her.

-Dammit Rey, not again! - Poe exclaimed from the bunk below her.

-Is it early morning yet?- Finn asked sleepily -Do we have to get up?

-Rey, you're worse than a fucking alarm! -Paige said waking up.

-Who the hell is Ben? Someone bring him to her, so we can sleep at once -Poe continued.

Rey looked around, breathing shaken and nervous, Rose held her hand as she stood on tiptoe to reach her bunk. Everything was fine, there was no explosion, she was in the bedroom and her companions were there, all alive. What the hell had that been then, a dream? "The weirdest dream of my entire life." Rey jumped when she heard the alarm that announced the time to wake up followed by the curses of Poe who for a change never had enough to sleep. Everyone was slowly waking up, stretching calmly until the Sergeant's voice put them on alert.

"Stand up ladies, the day will not wait for you!"

Sergeant Hux was quite annoying, according to Poe the guy did not sleep and only existed to make their lives miserable. The entire team lined up to greeting. They were all half dressed, disheveled and sleepy while the Sergeant looked flawless. They were quite a rare team, in Rey's humble opinion, an extremely skilled bunch of madmen in the magnificent battle armor and led by an eccentric redhead who only lived for battle.

-Today will be a memorable day - Hux began his daily speech that everyone knew by heart - today you will prepare for the decisive battle in which we will exterminate the invader that threatens to end life on this beautiful planet. You will be the heroes who will bring peace to our lands again ...

-It's going to be difficult if we can't sleep -Poe murmured and Hux advanced towards him, looking at him with a half smile. Poe had a lousy attitude at the Sergeant's discretion, but he was one of the best on the team - Private Dameron, did someone interrupt your beauty sleep? –Poe glanced at Rey –do not worry, there is still hope for you, hope in the shape of the decisive battle, the hot crucible where heroes are forged ...

Poe rolled his eyes when Hux turned his back on him, continuing his litany. Rey wasn't paying much attention, her mind was still stuck in that horrible dream, trying to find a possible explanation. "Pre-traumatic stress?" Nothing like this had ever happened to her in all the time she had been with Team Iron, or the Tinplates, as the rest of the soldiers told them, and this was not going to be the first time she had faced the enemy, but she couldn't stop thinking about what might happen. Her mind returned to the present when she heard Hux's last words in an unfriendly tone.

-The captain will be supervising the team's performance in training today and on the ground tomorrow, I hope all of you to show yours skill in the use of armor.

A man was standing next to Hux, Rey had not noticed his presence absorbed in her memories. Against the light it was difficult to define his face, he wore a field uniform and held the rank of captain. Something about him caught Rey's attention, the guy was taller than Hux, he was taller than any of them, his confident posture that emanated power had already been seen in another person and a lump began to form in her throat when the captain stepped forward and removed his cap, the light fully illuminating his pale, long face, framed by the darkest hair Rey could remember. She knew those dark eyes and those sensual lips pressed into a fine line, she knew every mole on that face.

-Captain Benjamin Solo -he introduced himself.

His deep and soft voice caused Rey's heart to sink into her stomach. God, how she had missed his voice, how she still missed those soft lips and the deep look in his beautiful eyes. Ben finally fixed his gaze on her, Rey was aware that her appearance was a disaster, all disheveled and her eyelids swollen from crying in that horrible nightmare, but he did not stop looking at her with a serious expression. She knew him, for her it would never go unnoticed the way the tight line of his lips turned into a half smile, imperceptible to others.

-Time to train ladies! –At Hux's voice, everyone ran to finish preparing. Another day of training awaited.

Hux and Ben left without him taking his eyes off her. Rose approached her.

-Why are you so pale? - Rey looked at her with wide eyes.

-A captain supervising Hux? Fuck, the Sergeant is going to be unbearable - Poe commented finishing dressing.

-Supervising us - Paige added - you better behave Poe or you will lose your beloved armor.

-Honey ... you would die without me -Poe said with his sensual smile, opening his arms, Finn threw a pillow at his face and Poe threw himself on him, Paige went to separate them.

-Benjamin Solo ... - Rose commented next to Rey as she finished putting her hair in a bun - Ben ... you know him.

-It is a long story.

-Tell me when you want, I just hope this isn't a problem for you - Rey smiled at her, Rose was the team's doctor and she also had a gift for understanding people.

-It will not be.

Rose had noticed the exchange of glances, of course it would be a problem, those two obviously had a common past.

The morning training went as usual, Hux made them sweat to the last drop and dull their minds with his endless speeches of inspiration and harangue, every time he caught Poe rolling his eyes the whole team won a session of 50 push-ups and many protests. Rey was not actively participating in the protests against Poe that morning, her mind stuck between the nightmare and Ben's unexpected appearance. "I saw you die in that dream and now you are here, why?" His eyes roamed around the busy base looking for him, it would be difficult to find him among so many soldiers who went from one place to another, teams training and military cars passing everywhere. The day before the battle was always the worst, the base was on fire with movement and adrenaline was running through everyone's blood, anxiety and fear were palpable.

At last came the moment everyone's favorite, training with combat armor. They were a kind of intelligent robot that made a soldier faster, more precise, more deadly; They had been specially designed to fight the aliens that had started this invasion for almost two years and had proven to be very effective. At each individual training post, the Iron team prepared for a fierce session by engaging the droids that simulated the enemy's swift attacks quite accurately while being supervised by the Sergeant. Rey was sure that day would be different and that Hux would make the most of them to show the "captain" that her team was well trained, she could already hear Finn's curses and Poe's sarcastic laugh.

Although Rey did not seem to stand out physically due to her rather small stature and slim build, she possessed a dexterity equivalent to Poe's (considered by all to be the best) and an innate ability in the use of armor. Hux recognized her and that is why he let her train at her pace and as she wanted. She always started with a calming yoga session, the asanas were the best warm-up before the intense exercise she would undergo, and they helped her to free and balance her mind. He was in the middle of her “greeting to the sun” when she heard a voice and her heart raced, concentration completely forgotten.

-You still practice yoga, excellent greeting to the sun.

Rey finished the exercise smoothly and prepared to face him, trying to adopt a neutral expression… it was difficult, especially before his sensual smile.

-What the hell are you doing here, Ben?

-Monitoring ...

-No, what the hell are you really doing -she interrupted him annoyed -I see my grandfather's hand here everywhere, it can't be a coincidence that he just sent you to supervise!

Ben moved closer to her until Rey had to raise her head to keep looking at him defiantly.

-Watch your tone, soldier, remember where you are.

-Whatever you say sir, excuse me, “captain” -she answered through her teeth, emphasizing his military rank.

None of them let their guard down, they were so close that Rey could feel his scent, he continued using the same cologne and the scent invaded her mind with a huge accumulation of sensations and memories of a past life. He was aware of the effect he was causing, she knew it, she saw it in his darkening eyes.

-You still look beautiful when you wake up -he said with a smile and Rey remembered every morning she woke up in his arms, before the invasion, before the war, before he left. The memory of him dead in her arms in that horrible dream forced her to turn her back so that he would not see her tears about to burst. She felt him take a deep breath.

-What did you come for, Ben?

-The Secretary of Defense is concerned, he wants a detailed report on the situation of the base with respect to the use of Armor.

-It was not necessary that he send you for that, anyone could do it.

-Anyone doesn't know the Falcons like I do -Rey realized he was right. The Millennium Falcon armors had been designed and assembled by Ben's father and uncle and he himself had tested the first prototypes… along with her –Your grandfather is worried, Rey…

She turned to face him. "Just my grandfather ... and you?" She wanted to ask, but the words refused to come out of her mouth. It was a strange situation, she had not seen him since that night when he told her that he would go to the Front with the first team that would use the armor to face the Mimics, the damn bugs that were causing havoc everywhere, she did not understand why should he go, he was not a military man, he was the son of a senator who was running for president, his place was not in the Front, directly exposed to anything… exposed to die. The fear of losing him, of never seeing him again, of not being able to wake up again in his arms was what made her lose him. That night Ben left the house after she almost kicked him out crying and swearing she wasn't going to wait for him. It was the longest night of her life, her grandfather was the only one who managed to calm her down until the attack of rage passed and only regret remained.

-You're right -Ben accepted resignedly -Your grandfather knows that you won't come back of your own free will, he contacted me and asked me to find you.

-He asked you to be my babysitter -Ben rolled his eyes, Rey was really irritating when she proposed -I won't go.

-I know, that's why I came ...

-Why didn't you come back? - She asked lowering her gaze, she knew he would understand that she was talking about that night.

-You said not to, you were quite convincing.

Rey took a deep breath, wanted to tell him that it had been a mistake, that she regretted as soon as he left the door, that not a minute had passed since his departure that she did not miss him; but she couldn't say anything, she didn't want to open up like that, after all he never made an attempt to look for her, did he? Now it no longer mattered, the only thing that mattered was winning the war and for that she had to train.

-Why did you do it Rey, why did you enlist? -She looked into his eyes, she had wanted so much for him to ask that, she had so many ironic and hurtful answers prepared, but before the worried look in his dark eyes, before the presence of him, she could not remember even one and only the truth wanted out of his mouth.

"Because I wanted to be where you were, because I've missed you so much that nothing matters anymore, because I love you but I needed to forget you and I couldn't in a house full of your memories"

-Because it was my duty -was the only sensible thing she could say.

-Your duty? Rey, you're the Secretary of Defense's granddaughter, you didn't have to.

\- Yes I had, it turns out that the armor was an excellent idea but few people knew how to use it. I knew, you taught me, that's why I joined, to help train others. In the end it was not enough.

-You don't have to be at the front, you don't have to go -His voice sounded pleading and Rey wondered if he was speaking for him or for her grandfather, Mr. Sheev Palpatine, who had done his best to convince her to return, sending Ben was obviously the last option he had left, she understood, but what use would it be to flee when they were being invaded more than a year ago by an alien race that was surpassing them? At least there she could do something, she could fight.

-I have to, if they win then there won't be a safe place to go. You're here to supervise -she said in a firm voice -then supervise.

She slipped into the armor and activated the droids, beginning her customary violent training before Ben's concerned gaze.

*

Rey knew what _déjà vu_ was, the phenomenon of having the strong feeling that an event or experience that is lived today has been experienced in the past. She also knew that it was a phenomenon of short duration, a fraction of a second, a beat, only that should last; she also knew that there could be three variants: the sensation of something already experienced, something already felt or something already visited. But this morning she was experiencing the longest bloody déjà vu in human history with its three variants included ... and she was about to freak out. Every second since the alarms sounded, since they boarded the plane that would take them to the battlefield where the enemy waited, every word from their comrades, every gesture, everything was a horrible flashback of her nightmare the day before, so real and vivid that she felt unable to breathe. She was the only spectator of the repetition of her own dream, as if she were in the front row of a movie theater where the sequence of the last day of her life ... of their lives, was being projected.

The plane of course crashed and they survived thanks to the armor. Around her everything was going back to being the hell of fire, screams, injuries and fallen ships that she had already lived through, again they were surrounded by the enemy, in the middle of an ambush and again Ben's voice took her out of shock after spending the last round of ammo.

-We have to get out of here, it is a massacre, we must tell them it was a mistake, the war ...!

-… the war is lost -Rey interrupted and Ben looked at her confused, a shriek forced him to divert his attention.

Rey was sure she would see the Alpha ... but it was not an Alpha, it was a Mimic like the others, the kind that were characterized by their fast and lethal attacks, for those who no longer had bullets. She barely had time to react when that nasty "thing" threw its tentacles at Ben and the only thing she could think of was to push her out of the way taking all the impact instead. His voice calling out her name was the last thing she felt before she fell to the ground ...

… And woke up screaming his name on her bunk.


End file.
